Film-spool center.



W. F. FOLM'ER.

FILM SPOOL CENTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9, 1911.

Patented June 24, 1913 guuc nfo'c W12 L [A M Ff 04, nu. w

- a s raws w rbcax, assremoa 'ro EASTMAN xonax WILLIAM F. FOLMER, OF ROCHESTER, NE

PATENT OFFICE.

comm, or noonnsrrla, NEW 203K, A CORPORATION or New. YO K-.-

FILM-SPOOL CENTER.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. FoLMim, of Rochester, in the county of Moi-Ede and State of New York, haveinvente'd certain new and-- useful Improvements in Film-- Spool Centers, and'I do hereby declare the 1 following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip'tion-of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formin- -a part of this specification, and to there erencenumerals marked thereon.

My present inventionflrelatesto photography, and, more 'particularly to photographiefilm cameras or roll holders, and itward so constructing the center that it irvill' be automatically retained in bothits inward and outward positions-whereby the necessity of simultaneously manipulating the centers at the time a' spool is being inserted or removed is obviated;

Simplicity both in manufacture and in assembling is a further object of the in-;

ventionfand to these and other ends the invent1on consists 1n 081133.111 improvements and combinations 0f parts, all as will be hereinafter more. fully described, the novel features being .pointed out in the claims at the end of the specificatiomi 1 In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional View through the film chamber of a camera casing or roll holder, showing inside elevation a pair of spool centers, each constructed in accordance with and illustrating one em bodiment of my invention, the centers being shown in their inward or opposite positions and the spool being shown in lace thereon. Fig. 2- is a similar view wit the centers retracted; Fig. 3 is asectiontaken substantially on the line'33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fi 3. v

imilar reference numerals throughout the several figures indicate the same parts. Inasmuch as my present invention is more particularly, though not exclusively, appli-; cable to the dead or non-rotative centers, '1 have illustrated it in connection with the film feeding chamber 1 of a camera or roll holder, having the upper and lower walls.

and 3 inclosing the chamber, which latter is accessible through a suitable door or back 4. The centers at each end ofthe spool 5 may be alike in all respects, and a description of one will, therefore, sufiice for both. An aperture'fi in the chamber walls 2, 3 1s,-in the present instance, surrounded by a cradle 7 that assists alining in the ends of the film spool, which latter -may be of the usual construction, with the centers about to be described. A socket piece 15. provided comprising a preferably.

concave or dished mountin plate 8, that is set in to the wall 2-3 on t e exterior, and a tubular portion 9 riveted at 10 with the aid of a shoulder 11 to the mounting plate '8, which tubular portion- 'rojects through the aperture 6 to the film c amber. The tube 9 Patenteddime 24, 1913.

Application-filed December 9,1911. SerialNo.664,730. v

the recesses is provided with a longitudinal slot 12 and i with a transverse, slot 13- intersecting the latter at orvnearthe base of thetub e so' asto provide tworesilientor laterally yield able jaws 14 and 15. The adjacent faces of these jaws, constituted by the walls of the longitudinal slot 12, are provided with oppositely arranged airs of recesses 16 and 1- spaced from eac other-1011' hidinally and forming abutments or shoul ers.

Slidably movable longitudinally within the socket piece and moreparticularly the tubular portion 9 thereof,- is a stem'18, which may be of the regular'cylindrical form, its inner end 19 constituting the center proper that engages with and forms the journal'forthe recess in the spool end, while at its outer or opposite end is formed a finger portion 20 that is readily accessible to the fingers m of the operator at all times becausevof the beforementioned' concave nature of the mounting plate 8. The stem is provided with a laterally projecting pin or abutment 21 that occuples the slot 12 in'the socket piece and traverses the same as the stem moves longitudinally between the inward or automaticall snaps into the recessed or- 'ment of the stem,-but when the latter reaches either of its two mentioned positions the pm tions 16 or 1 and cooperates with the a utmentsformed thereby to maintain the stem in that position. V

When it is desired to change the position of the stem a slightly greater pressure exerted'thereon will cause the jaws to yield laterally and allow the pin 21 to ride out of the depressions, the jaws closing together again when the other pair of depressions is reached. Thus the centers are definitely held in either position and when retracted they maintain themselves so that the operator isfree to devote his entire attention to the manipulation of the spool when loading or unloading instead of being obligedto retain a grip on the stems during this process, as is required with some of the spring pressed centers heretofore used.

It will be observed that a center constructed in accordance with the present invention is simple mechanically embodying practically only two parts, and maybe easily assembled with the camera or roll holder by insertion from the exterior thereof after the hole 6 and the seat of the mounting plate 8 3 have beenbored. i

I claim as my invention: 1. In a film spool center, the combination witha socket member embodying a tube having a longitudinal slot therein provided tube and to yieldingly engage in a direction v laterally of the slot with the recess in the wall thereof, one of said engaging parts being resiliently mounted;

2. In a film spool center, the combination with a socket member embodying a resilient tube having a longitudinal slot therein provided with a recess and a transverse slotat one end thereof forming a resilient recessed jaw, of a stem movable longitudinally.

within the socket between an inward spool engaging position and a retracted position and a projection on the stem adapted to traverse the /slot in the tube in contact with the resilient jaw and to be yieldingly engaged by the recess therein to maintain the stem in one of its positions.

3. In a film spool center, the combination with a socket piece embodying a mounting plate and a tube secured therein at one end provided with a longitudinal slot and a transverse slot at the base thereof forming resilient jaws, said jaws being provided with oppositely arranged pairs of recesses, of a stem movable longitudinallywithin the tube between an inward spool engaging position and a retracted position and a pin on the stem adapted to traverse the slot between the jaws and to be yieldingly engaged by the respective pairs of recesses to maintain the stem in its respective positions.

WILLIAM F. ronnnn.

\ Witnesses:

1F. l3. CHURCH, Fronnncn E. FRANCE. 

